Device for depositing salt in canned goods



Feb. 28, 1933.

D. M. HUME 1,899,619

DEVICE FOR DEPOSITING' SALT IN CANNED GOODS Filed Feb. 5, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 28, 1933. D. M. HUME 9899519 DEVICE FOR DEPOSITING SALT IN CANNED, GOODS Filed Feb. 5, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 D. M. HUME DEVICE FOR `DEPOSI'IIING SALT IN CANNED GOODS Filed Feb. 5, 1952 Feb. 28, 1933.

Patented Feb. 28, 1933A y .c

UNITED STATES Priora` DAMON MARCEL `IIUME, OF REDKEY, ENDIANA DEVICE FOR DEPOSITING SALT I N VvCANNELD-GODS Application led February 5,1932.V Serial No. 591,185;

This invention relates to a device for delike characters of reference designate similar positing salt in canned goods and has for an parts in the various views, designatesv object to provide apparatus adapted to be an endless conveyor upon which thefilled cansV automatically operated by the cans passing 11 are carried tothe closing machine. along the conveyor to the closing machine For depositing a measured quantity of salt 55 to deposit a measured quantity of salt in in each can prior to closing l provide a hopeach can. per 12 for the salt to be dispensed, there being A further object is to provide salt ldisa funnel shaped false bottom 13 secured at pensing apparatus having a heating chamber the upper flared end to a rib 14 formed in the 0 in the base to dry the salt. hopper as best shown in Figure 4. The hop- 6p A further object is to provide a novel agiper extends below the false bottom and is tator for delivering the salt to the filling preferably bolted or otherwise secured to a spout, a false bottom being provided in theV casting 15, which as best shown in Figure 6 salt container above the agitator to relieve is provided with an internal arcuate steam 65 the agitator of the weight of thesalt in the chamber 16. Steam pipes 17 enter the ychamcontainer so that minimum power will be conher. The purpose ofthe steam chamber is to sumed in driving the agitator. v Y dry the salt, and obviously circulating hot A still further object is to provide a measwater or electric heating coils may be subo uring chamber in which a star knife operates c stituted for steam if desired. i y ,m to dispense a measured quantity of salt into' As best shown iny Figures 4 and 5 an agitaf the cans in sequence. l a tor 18 is disposed on top of the casting 15 A further object is to provide a novel cam and is provided with a long central hub .19 which operates in synchronism with thestar and radial fins 20.l The ends of the fins are knife and trips a trap door in the discharge directed rearwardly at an oblique angle to spout to properly time the salt depositing op! provide scrapers 24 which force the salt later-` eration. ally ahead of them into avdisoharge nozzle25 With the above and other objects in view disposed on the side of the hopper. the invention consists in certain novel details For rotating the agitator the hub 19 is of construction and combinations of parts threaded onto a screw 26 carried by the upper hereinafter fully described and claimed, it end of a stand shaft 27 which extends downbeing understood that various modifications wardly through the base of the hub and is may be resorted to within the scope of the rotatively mounted in an upright axial sleeve appended claims without departing from the 28 integral-with the casting 15. The shaft 27 spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages ofl is provided above the sleeve 28 with a stop the invention. collar 29 and a hollow lock nut21 by means In Vthe accompanying drawings forming ofwhich parts the hub is rmly locked to part of this specification, thefshaft. The stop collar is seated on aA Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, flanged bushing 30 which is inserted in the Figure2 is an end elevation of the device, upper end of the sleeve and -a flanged bush-l Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line ing, surrounds the shaft at the lower end 3 3 of Figure 2 showing the trip wheel, ofthe sleeve to properly center the shaft in Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical section the sleeve. y taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, y l v yA small `pipe 22 is threaded into the nut 21 Figure 5is a cross section taken on line 5-*45 and is fitted with a grease cup 23 to supply of Figure 4, Y lubricant to the bearing bushings 30 and 32 Figure 6 is across section taken on line 6-'6 through a duct 31 in the shaft 27. of Figure 4, and A worm gearr33 isfsecured to the lower end Figure 7 is a detail elevation of the cam of the stand shaft by means of a key 34 and and door controlling mechanism. a nut 35 and meshes with a worm pinion 36 100 Referring now to the drawings in which best shown in Figure 6. krThe worm pinion shaft 37 is journaled in suitable bearings 38 and 89 integral with the casting 15. A stuifing box 40 makes the bearing 39 gas tight.

that slip may occur in case the agitator becomes Jammed by some foreign mat-ter in the salt. kThe motor is bolted or otherwise secured to the shelf 47 of a bracket 48 which is preferably secured to the bottom of the casting by lag screws 49. Y

. Integral with the casting isa laterally extended plate 50, best shown in Figures 4 and 5, having an opening 51 therein. A small casing 52 is mounted on the plate above the opening and is open at the rear side to register with nozzle 25. The casing may be secured to the plate and to the nozzle by means of screws 53 and constitutes a measuring chamber into which the salt is forced by the agitator.

A star knife 54, having any desired number of blades is fixed `to a shaft 55 which is rotatively mounted in bearings 56 integral with the side walls of the casing as best shown in Figure 2. One end of the shaft is equipped with a gear 57 which meshes with a gear 58, see Figure l., carried 4by a-stand shaft 59 which is journaled in bearings 60 carried by lateral arms 6l integral with the bracket 48.

A trip wheel 62 is fixed to the stand shaft 59 and as best shown in Figure 3 is provided on the periphery with a plurality of concave faces 63 in which the cans 11 lodge as they progress past the apparatus and impart rotary movement to the wheel with resultant actuation of the star knife to dispense the salt from the measuring chamber through the opening 5l.

'It is essential that the salt be deposited accurately in the cans at the moment the cans arrive in registry with the measuring `chamber and for this purpose a cam 64 is fixed to the star knife shaft 55 outside of the casing 52 as bestshown in Figure 7. The cam is provided with radial arms 65.

The purpose of the cam is to open a trap door 66, which is fixed at the top as shown in Figure 4 to a hinge pintle 67, which is journaled in the sides of a chute 68 that is attached to the plate 50 below the discharge opening 5l by means of a screw 69 or otherwise. The pintle 67 projects outwardly from the chute at one end and is equipped with a crank arm 70, best shown in Figures 5 and 7, the crank arm terminating in a lateral lug 71 which projects into the-path of movement of the rotating cam arms and is struck by the latter in sequence to depress the lever arm and swing open the trap door to the dotted line position shown in Figure 7. A spring 72 is coiled around the pintle 67 to swing the door kclosed and reset the .crank arm 70 after each actuation by the cam arms 65. One end, 73 of the spring may be lodged against a convenient part of the chute as best shown inFigure 2, while the opposite end 74 is hooked around the lever arm as best shown in Figure 7 to vcause the tensioning of the spring during opening of the trap door so that expansion of the spring will cause lug 7l of the pintle to follow the contour of the cam 64 as will be understood.

It will be understood that the apparatusv may be adjusted to dispense salt to cans of various sizesv by changing the Agear ratio, cut outs, or concavities in the trip wheel, number of arms on the cam and number of blades on the star knife accordingly. Also it will be observed that the star knife may be of such size as to eject the proper amount of salt corresponding to the size of the can, the usual proportion being one teaspoonful per quart.

In operation the salt is dumped into the hopper from whence it gravitates at the constricted lower end of the false bottom 13 on to the rotating agitator 18, it being, of course, understood that the heating chamber in the casting has been supplied with steam to maintain the salt in a dry state. The scrapers 24 ejects the salt through the nozzle 25.

As each can in turn moves the trip wheel 52 the star knife will be correspondingly rotated to `dispense a predetermined quantity of salt into the chute. AAs the cans 1l move into central position with respect to the apparatus an arm 65 of the cam will impinge against the lug 7l of the hinge pintle of the trap door and depress the lever arm 7 0 thereof to open the trap door and permit the measuredquantity of salt to gravitate into the can. Further movement of the can l1, as will be understood, positions the trip wheel 52 to receive the next succeeding can while in the interim the trap door has been closed by expansion of the tensioned spring 72, the star knife meanwhile accumulating ameasured quantity of salt in the chute to supply the next can.

l/Vhat is claimed is: f

l. A device for depositing salt in moving` cans comprising a hopper, a rotary agitator in the bottom of the hopper, a heating chamber in the bottom of the hopper for drying the salt, a trip wheel suspended from the hopper and adapted to be actuated by the moving cans, and a measuring device communieating with the hopper laterally of the agitator and operatively'connected with the trip wheel to dispense a predetermined quantity of salt to the moving cans in sequence.

2. A device for depositing salt in moving cans comprising a hopper, an agitator in the hopper having radial tins, a measuring chamber disposed laterally of the agitator on the hopper, there being a discharge opening in the hopper communicating with the chainber, the ends of the fins of the agitator being reversely bent at an angle to provide scrapers adapted to force the salt through said discharge opening into said chamber, a trip wheel disposed below the hopper and adapted to be rotated by the moving cans, and dispensing apparatus operatively connected to be driven by the trip wheel to discharge thc` salt from said chamber into the moving cans.

8. A device for depositing salt in moving cans comprising a hopper, a rotary agitator on the bottom of the hopper, a measuring chamber disposed laterally of the agitator, a rotary star knife in the chamber, a camassembled with the star knife outside of the chamber, a trip wheel adapted to be rotated by the moving cans, operative connections between the trip wheel and the star knife for driving the knife and cam as an unit, said measuring chamber having a discharge opening, and a hinged closure for said opening operatively connected to be moved by the cam.

il. A device for depositing salt in moving cans comprising a hopper, a funnel shaped false bottom in the hopper, an agitator below the false bottom, a heating chamber below the agitator, means disposed externally of v the hopper for rotating the agitator, and can operated means for dispensing a predetermined quantity of salt from the hopper lat-- erally of the agitator.

5. A device for depositing salt in moving cans comprising a hopper, an agitator in the bottom of the hopper, a trip wheel suspended from the hopper and adapted to be actuated by the moving cans, a measuring chamber on one side of the hopper communicating with the hopper in the plane of the agitator, a star knife in the chamber geared to the trip wheel for simultaneous rotation therewith, there being a discharge opening in said chamber, a hinged closure for the opening, a cam operatively connected to the star knife to be driven thereby for opening the trap door, and a spring for closing the trap door.

6. A device for depositing salt in moving cans comprising a hopper, an agitator in the hopper, a measuring chamber disposed laterally of the agitator on the hopper, there being a discharge opening in the hopper communieating with the chamber, a chute below and communicating with the chamber, a hinged trap door spring pressed to normally seal the chute, a shaft journaled in the walls of the chamber, a star knife fixed to the shaft within the chamber, a cam fixed to the shaft outside of the chamber, a lever arm integral with the trap door and having a lateral lug path of movement of the cams forrotation thereby, an operative connection between the trip wheel and ythe star knife for moving the wheel and knife in unison, said chamber having a discharge opening, a spring pressed door normally Aclosing said opening, and a cam operatively connectedto the star knife and to the door for opening the door against the tension of its spring.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

DAMON MARCEL HUME. [L s] 

